Since 1996, the number of e-commerce Web sites facilitating online buying has grown exponentially, and to date, three main ways of stealing credit card numbers during the buying process have been devised.

 The first method: pirating the online shopping system to get copies of the numbers from your computer. Worked well years ago, but these days is completely averted by powerful protective encryption keys. In addition to encryption, super computers are used to record credit card numbers of online shoppers.

 The second method: of stealing credit card numbers is a growing problem known as « Phishing ». It’s a "fake" Internet site that tricks visitors into buying something, such as a $100 subscription for one year's access to XXX-rated movies. But the subscription is a scam, and its author has succeeded in getting your credit card number and personal information during sign-up.

You can use some important means to counter Phishing. If you suspect a Web site of using Phishing and you know his Internet address, compare this address with the address in your browser address bar. Often the fraudulent sites will have a very similar address. Example: (true site) desjardins.com and (false site) dejardins.com. If the address in the address bar is not the “real” address the site is supposed to have, leave the site! And go on the official address.

Sometime, the address will be a nonsense such: www.someonesite/2039/images/desjardins.com/index.html. The domain name is far from being the original name! Leave this site! For the online casinos, our top5 casinos and top5 poker have genuine gambling systems. If you are unsure to be able to make the difference between a scam and a professional website, please visit our top5 casinos or poker, it will save you a lot of problems, and will bring you a lot of fun!

 The third way: of stealing your credit card numbers is as old as the hills, and is used more often in restaurants and at hotels than on the Internet: that's the time-honored method of outright theft. Two common examples: the janitor rifles through your waste basket or garbage can looking for old credit card statements; or, an employee rummages through company computer files in search of credit card numbers.

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To sum it up, always check the structure of the Web site. Make sure the site is professionally built, because if not, it may either be a front for scammers, or have very minimal security measures that put your cards at risk. Be sure to look for the "closed padlock" icon, which indicates the transfer is encryption-protected.

If you consider subscribing to a Web site offering free access for a certain period at the beginning of the subscription, such as most adult content Web sites, make sure you read and understand the usage and membership conditions. Several such sites are more or less transparent and offer a one-week free membership with no obligation to keep the subscription afterwards. The problem is that the fine print often states that unless you cancel your subscription two days prior to the end of the free period, your credit card will be billed automatically for the next month, without your consent.

A last word of advice, keep a notepad with you at all times while online. Write down all pertinent information on each one of your online credit card transactions: the date, the name and address (URL) of the Web site, and the exact amount you expect to be billed.

Then, everything should be just fine!

Parts of the background image are © Juan Miguel Giralt